Into the Ocean
by Scandalous Sparkle
Summary: Finnick Odair Jr has gone away to fight in the first great war against Panem since the great rebellion. He leaves behind a wife, Pearl, the daughter of Katniss and Peeta Mellark. Pearl has gone on to become a famous actress and is engaged to the President's son now. When Finn comes back from war, can Pearl continue on her path or will the two childhood sweethearts rise above again?
1. Prologue

_**OMG I'M STILL ALIVE! Sorry for the complete absence and total silence, I've been so swamped and overwhelmed! I have an update for all the fanfics coming soon, but I couldn't resist sharing this little tidbit from a new story I'm going to be pursuing after Doctor's Game is finished! It takes place some time after Stale Bread.  
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_**Read, enjoy and please let me know what you think! Also, still on the hunt for a Beta!**_

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_**Finn**_

There's an ancient quote my dad used to tell me when I had a hard time saying good bye to anything. He couldn't remember the author or the situation behind it. 'Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.' I don't understand it to be honest, but that may just be the ignorant Odair coming out in me.

There's nothing sweet about this parting, it's nothing but pain and sorrow. It feels like my heart is being ripped out and stabbed repeatedly with Tracker Jacker venom.

Pearl sleeps peacefully, blissfully unaware of what is happening.

I slip my boots on soundlessly and look at her beautiful form. She's got such a bright and wonderful future ahead of her. She's going to stay here in the Capital, start her acting career and have all her dreams come true.

Me… I'm off to District Two to report in and be shipped off for war. I'll probably die, or at least I will if I'm lucky. The war has been raging on for three years now and it's my turn to go to the front line. I haven't told anyone, not even my own family. I know they would have talked me out of volunteering, but it's something I had to do.

I stand and look down at her, taking her in for what very well may be my last time. Her dark brown hair is sprawled out over the snow-white pillows. Her face is pale in the early dawn's light wafting in from the window, the cool night's breeze gently caressing her skin. Those bright blue eyes are closed, but their light and joy will keep me company in the coming weeks, months, years… Hell, let's be honest, _days._

I reach out to lightly run the back of my hand along her smooth, flawless cheek. Tonight had been the best night of my life, but it was time for reality to set in. A quiet sigh leaves my heavy chest before I slip my wedding band off and set it on the table by my side of bed.

Two weeks of marriage and now I was about to make her a widow. What had I been thinking?

I curse myself before leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I love you Pearl Everlark-Odair. You are the most beautiful, sweet, tender, thoughtful and talented young woman I've ever met in my whole life. You're going to go on to have the most spectacular life anyone could ever dream of. Please don't hold on to me, please understand why I did this?" I plead quietly before grabbing my bag and getting out of the room without a noise to alert her.

The apartment is small, it's all we could afford, but it's been home. The one room place has a pretty view of the mountains and it will be more than enough for her. I used my signing bonus to pay for the next year of all her utilities, rent and so I know she's taken care of. My letter to my parents should reach them by morning so they'll be here to make sure she's doing well, I'm positive of that.

This is the worst thing I've ever done in my whole entire life and I hate doing it, but I can't face her.

My heart is heavy as I take a deep breath and walk through the front door. Time to meet my true fate.


	2. Chapter 1: Out of Control

_Let me start off by saying how sorry I amfor how long this took! I'm hoping to be getting updates out more regularly now that things are really settling down for me! Please excuse any mistakes I've made, I'm looking for a beta and I just really wanted to get this out before life got crazy again. I will update this chapter as I find/fix my mistakes._

_As with my other stories, I'm setting up a playlist for this story too. This chapters song is 'Why You Wanna' by Jenna Kramer._

_I hope you enjoy!_

_Love, SS_

_Pearl_

My head throbs, my body aches and my mouth tastes like vomit. What the heck was I doing waking up?

I crack an eye open partially, only to immediately snap it shut and curse my own existence. The sun light streaming from my window was too bright, the sound of my cleaning staff too loud and the fact that I was still alive was too painful. I didn't bother trying to look at who was currently in my room, assuming it was Netty, my usual morning maid.

"Netty, just leave me here to die." I groan, trying to unsuccessfully pull the comforter weighing down on me over my head. "Or at least bring me another very strong drink."

"No can do, you have a very important meeting today." A gentle male voice responds. I feel him sit beside me, taking the blanket from my hands. "You can't spend all day in bed."

I groan and force my head to turn up at him, slowly opening my eyes. I have to blink a few times to adjust, but the pain is nearly intolerable. "And why can't I?" I demand.

"Because you and I both know he wouldn't let you." Clear blue eyes the color of meconopsis stare back at me, full of warmth and concern. "Besides, mother will be outraged."

This baffles me, what could possibly be so important to make her angry with me again? Of course, the fact that I still hadn't set wedding date was probably why. On top of why his mother is mad, who is 'he' that wouldn't let me sleep?

My look of loss and confusion must betray my ignorance because he gives me a sly smile. He stands and walks to my closet. "She's outraged you're not even dressed yet." He says, opening the double doors and revealing a wedding dress.

I sit straight up, chest heaving is every breath is a struggle. I am drenched with sweat as I throw my blankets off, springing from the bed and lunging to my closet. I fling the doors opened, but I'm faced with just my familiar clothing.

I collapse to my knees, taking a deep breath. "Just another stupid dream." I whisper, sighing with extreme relief. I know I shouldn't be so scared of my dreams, and yet this has been a reoccurring incident.

A knock at my door jerks my head to the side, my assistant Tefa looks sheepish as she glances down at a tablet in her hand. "I'm sorry ma'am, but you have a lot on your plate for the day and need to get started or else there won't be time to get it all done." She whispers.

I take a moment to stare at her. I can't help but ponder why I even hired her honestly. It had been two weeks, and she still seemed very quiet around me. We were about the same size, a little over five foot, thin, but she had longer hair, darker eyes and darker skin that was normal for someone from Eleven. She was quiet, shy and nothing like my very outspoken self. Oh yeah, that's why I hired her, she kept opinions to herself.

I shake my head to clear these thoughts from my head. "Yeah, whatever." I huff, climbing to my feet and grabbing a dress.

"Oh, OK." She says, hands visibly shaking as she fumbled with the tablet for a moment.

I have to bite my tongue as I slip into the black fabric and fish out some heels to match and stockings. You would think I beat this poor girl the way she squeaked and shook around me. I swear I never even raised my voice at her and yet she was so terrified of me. I want so badly to say something, but silence is better in this situation, she's so much like a whipped puppy it's ridiculous.

"Tefa, we've talked about this, just spit it out." I grumble as I get everything on as quickly as possible.

"O-of course." She says and I swear to god I can hear her head bobbing and feel my aneurism get that much bigger. "You have a meeting in an hour with the new head of your security."

"You mean an interview." I correct, giving her a sideways glance as I slip into the shoes and look at my reflection in my vanity mirror.

"No I don't, ma'am. President Thatcher already hired him. You are simply meeting him. He also added a note that no matter what, you can't fire him and he's to stay on." She said, her face going a little paler as she read this.

My eyes narrow as I slip on a bracelet and rings. I hesitate a bit before sliding on a diamond the size of a pea. I could instantly feel extreme weight on my shoulders, making it hard to breathe and threaten to buckle my knees. I could still feel his breath on my ear as he slipped the ring on my finger.

_'This time is forever.'_

He hadn't asked my permission, never considered I wanted an option, he just put the ring on and sealed my fate. While I could do much worse, I wasn't exactly jumping at the chance to become Thatcher any time in the near future. I kept postponing setting a date and I knew it was driving his mother insane, hence my reoccurring nightmare.

I turn away from the mirror, stealing Tefa's tablet as I passed. "He might be the President and he might be my fiances father, but he has no control over me, and you can use those exact words." I told her, scrolling through my schedule.

"If that's what you want me to do, then very well, but this candidate seems very qualified." She insisted.

Looking over the information provided, I had to agree with her. It didn't provide a name, age or even gender. But this person had spent the last six years as part of the elite military, he'd earned three medals, been in seven active battles and was fairly high ranking for such a short career. Either this meant he had volunteered before the war officially started or he knew some strings to pull.

"Says here he was released due to family tragedy, hopefully he's not too unstable if the President has already given him the position." I muse idly, handing her back the tablet.

"Does that mean-"

"It means I will trust him for now, but should this candidate lack in any way, shape or form, I will not hesitate to release him. Don't give my earlier message to the President by the way."

"I never intended to give it to her madam."

"Probably a smart move on your behalf." I mumble as I stop in my living room and wave my hand, waking up the large screen that dominates the whole wall. I quickly bring up my own messages and open up a small screen with news on it.

"As storms continue to batter the upper coast of Four…" A female voice drones on.

I only half pay attention to the report as I open a message from Morgana Thatcher. My blood boils as I quickly read it over with narrowed eyes.

Pearl,

I understand that your family has neglected you these many years and have even banned you from the funeral, but I require your assistance with them. To aid in Gregorums up coming political career, he and I agreed it best to host a charity event for the fallen families. It is vital to his success and President Thatcher's image that the Odairs be there. If you have any love for my son or care for your cushioned life, you'll get them there one way or the other.

"What the hell is this?" I demand, outraged as I reread it. "What the hell does she expect me to do?!"

While I cared for Gregorum and adored his father, his bitch of a mother was a whole other issue. His mother was a grand daughter of the infamous Cornelius Snow, and she was every but as nasty and cutthroat as he had been. She hated me from the moment she laid eyes on me, long before she found out who I was. What her husband saw in her I would never begin to understand., but there was the old saying 'opposites attract'.

Tefa quickly starts working on her tablet. "We were rather lucky that we had so few casualties for as long as the war was…"

"I get that, but why do I need to get the Odairs there?" I say, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"The Odairs lost their middle child, Echo, at the tail end of the war. He was a doctor, there to help set up hospitals and clinics in the most worn torn areas when he was ambushed by rebels."

I quickly turn to glare at her. I'm well aware of the details, a little known fact is that I was emergency contact and beneficiary. I had to make the call on what to do with his body and I had to arrange for his poor parents to be informed of his passing.

Bitter twist of events, my family banned me from attending his funeral that was held just a week ago. Of course they didn't tell me, they requested that the President be the one to pass on that lovely note when he called to give his condolences. I would have thought it perfectly clear to Morgana that they wouldn't even show up to my own funeral, let alone a publicity stunt if I invited them.

"I know the circumstances of his death, he was my closest friend and only family after all. I will not allow his name to be exploited, I will not be getting in touch with his parents now or any time in the foreseeable future. Now that, you can tell her." I tell her through gritted teeth.

"Only family huh? Not like you don't have parents, a brother, sister, cousins, aunts and uncles… oh and don't forget a husband and in-laws." An all too familiar voice says from behind me.

I suck in a hard, audible breath as my insides freeze, my skin lighting on fire. I don't have to turn around to know who it is my mind going back to my most recent dream. _'We both know he won't let you.'_ Was it my subconscious warning me?

I have to force myself not to tremble as I stiffen into a straight position. "Tefa, please escort my intruder out of the building." I say as calmly as possible, not wanting to convey the panic within.

I didn't need to turn around to face the man speaking, I could picture every detail of his appearance already. He is tall, well over six foot, muscular, but not so much that he's bulky. His skin is golden brown from hours spent in the sun, his green eyes shining like sea he grew up on and hair a bronze color that many long to obtain, all traits inherited from his father.

This man is my ex husband. The man who made all my dreams come true as quickly as he created all my nightmares. Finnick Odair Jr.

"Actually, I'm not trespassing or intruding. I was invited here." He states matter-of-factly.

I whip around to give him a murderous glare. "There is no way in hell I would invite you to my home, let alone the Capitol. So unless my assistant here messed up and sent a wrong message, you are not welcome here." I'm gonna have to fire Tefa after this mess up, there's no way around it…

He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, handing it to me. "Actually it was President Thatcher."

I quickly read the paper. It was mostly gibberish to me, worded as a formal military order. I was able to make out the gist of it though.

"You're the decorated individual my future father-in-law has hand picked to protect myself and my assets?" I ask, disbelieving the man would do such a thing to me.

"That I am. I've been moved from active duty to babysitting duty due to the unfortunate events you were just discussing." He explains, still standing stiffly as he had been when I turned around.

His skin was darker, his deep eyes more exhausted than I remembered and his normally fluffy and messy hair was cropped short. He had stayed about the same muscle wise. She knew it was bad the way her heart ached and her arms itched to wrap around him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but did you say husband?" Tefa says, speaking up. "I was under the impression that you were engaged to Gregorum Thatcher."

I huff and look at her, exasperated. "Yes, I am engaged to Gregorum and what Mr. Odair means is ex husband."

Finn rolls his eyes, obviously annoyed by this. "If I meant ex, I would have said it. You and I are still married and your fiancés father thinks I'm the best man to protect you."

I shake my head. "I'm not letting that happen." I state, gather up my purse and pushing past him.

"Ma'am?" Tefa calls, concerned.

"I'm going to talk to President Thatcher myself." I say, hitting the button for the elevator. "I'm not going to stand for this."

"I'll come too, I want to see how this plays out" Finn says, smirking and a little too happy about this situation.


End file.
